Indexible tee for golf games



A. P. ROGERS INDEXIBLE TEE FOR cow GAMES Sept. 22, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 11. 1968 United States Patent 01 fice 3,529,831 Patented Sept. 22, 1970 3,529,831 INDEXIBLE TEE FOR GOLF GAMES Albert P. Rogers, Spring Lake, Mich., assignor to Brunswick Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 775,990 Int. Cl. A63b 69/36 US. Cl. 273-195 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved indexible tee construction for use in golf games including a rotatable turret having three differ: ent mats from which a golfer may effect a sand shot, a shot from the rough, and a shot from the fairway spaced about its periphery, means for rotating the turret, control means for the rotating means so that a selected one of the mats may be disposed in a position whereat the golfer may hit a ball therefrom, and an improved drive train between the rotating means and the turret that insures that the selected mat will be solidly held in position by locking the turret against rotation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the copending application of Anderson, Ser. No. 545,411, filed Apr. 26, 1966, entitled Golf Tee and assigned to the same assignee as the instant application, there is disclosed an indexible tee device for use in driving ranges or in indoor golf games wherein a turret mounted for rotation about a generally horizontal axis bears three different mats, each simulating the lie on a different portion on a golf hole upon its periphery. Typically, one rnat will simulate the lie on the fairway, another will simulate the lie in the rough, and a third will simulate the lie in the sand. As a result, by selective rotation of the turret, any one of the three mats may be disposed at a position whereat a golfer may hit a ball therefrom.

In an indoor golf game, the above-described construction permits an increased degree of realism by permitting the golfer to hit shots from any of the three typical lies found on a golf course. In the case of a driving range installation, the golfer may selectively practice shots from any of the three type of lies found on a golf course.

In the Anderson indexible T structure, it was found desirable to provide some sort of means for locking the turret in the selected position so that when a golfer hits a ballfrom the selected mat, the turret will not rotate slightly to move the mat out of a generally horizontal position for the next shot. Additionally, the lock precludes shuddering during the shot which may have an adverse effect on the golfers swing or the successful completion of the shot.

The provision of a separate locking device to perform the locking function has unnecessarily complicated the indexible T construction and added to the cost thereof in that additional elements in the form of the locking mechanism itself and the control for the locking mechanism are required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the invention to provide a new and improved indexible T structure.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide an indexible T structure that includes provision for locking a turret bearing different lie simulating surfaces in a position with a selected lie simulating surface at a location whereat a golfer may hit a ball from the same without providing additional elements to perform the locking function thereby providing a more economical structure.

Another object is the provision of an improved indexible T structure such as that set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein a drive train located between a drive means and the turret is designed so as to inherently provide for the locking of the turret when a selected mat is at the desired location and the drive means is deenergized.

Yet another object is the provision of an improved indexible T structure such as that set forth above wherein the drive train includes first movable means driven by the drive means, a second movable means driven by the first movable means for moving the turret with the first and second movable means precluding means for precluding movement of the second movable drive means is deenergized.

A further object is the provision of an improved indexible T structure such as that set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the drive train is of the Geneva motion type and the first movable means comprises a rotatable tooth, the second movable means comprises a rotatable element having at least one radially extending slot adapted to receive the tooth and the means for precluding movement of the second movable means includes a circular segment associated with the first movable means and a circular recess adapted to receive the segment associated with the second movable means.

Another object is the provision of an indexible T construction including a turret mounted for rotation about a generally horizontal axis and having means spaced about its periphery for providing at least two differing lie conditions, rotary drive means, and means interconnecting the drive means and the turret for rotation of the latter including a first disc mounted for rotation with the drive means and including a tooth and a circular segment located oppositely of the tooth, a gear mounted for rotation with the turret, a second rotatable disc located between the first disc and the gear and including a sector gear meshed with the gear, a plurality of radially extending slots for receiving the tooth and a plurality of circular recesses, one disposed between each of the slots, with each recess having approximately the same diameter as the circular segment and being adapted to normally receive the same to block rotation of the turret whereby energization of the drive means will rotate the first disc to move the circular segment out of one of the circular recesses to thereby free the second disc for rotation, continued energization of the drive means further resulting in the tooth entering one of the radially extending slots to rotate the second disc so that the sector gear thereof will rotate the gear thereby rotating the turret, and whereby when the drive means moves the tooth out of one of the slots thereby halting rotation of the turret, continued rotation of the first disc will cause the circular segment to enter one of the circular recesses thereby blocking rotation of the second disc and firmly locking the turret against rotation in readiness for a golfer with a golf ball from the same.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one environment in which a new and improved indexible tee structure may be used;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of an exemplary embodiment of the invention with parts broken away for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken approximately along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a logic diagram illustrating a control system for the indexible tee structure.

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An exemplary embodiment of an indexible tee structure made according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1 in the environment of an indoor golf game. The indoor golf game includes a tee area, generally designated 10, in which the indexible tee structure, generally designated 12, is disposed. At the front of the tee area and in the general direction of flight of a ball hit from the indexible tee 12 there is disposed a screen, generally designated 14, which receives the projected image of a scene on a golf course from a projector, generally designated 16. To one side of the tee area 10 there may be disposed a console, generally designated 18, which may provide for control of the projector 16 and/or control of the indexible tee 12 as well as such other elements of the indoor golf game as might 'be manually operated.

The indexible tee 12 includes a support in the form of a turret, generally designated 20, which is arranged to dispose a mat 22 in an opening 24 in the tee area. Appropriate drive means, generally designated 26 are arranged in conjunction with a drive train, generally designated 28 to rotate the turret so that any selected mat 22 about the periphery of the turret may be disposed in the opening 24.

As seen in FIG. 2, the turret 20 is generally triangular in shape and supports three mats which, in the exemplary embodiment, are constructed and arranged to simulate the lie on three different portions of a golf hole. One mat 22F is constructed in any suitable manner to simulate the fairway on a golf course while a second mat 225 is constructed to simulate the lie in a sand trap. The man ner in which the mat 22S is constructed may be ascertained by reference to the copending application of Anderson et al., Ser. No. 587,839, filed Oct. '19, 1966, entitled Method and Means for Simulating a Sand Trap, now Pat. No. 3,466,048, and assigned to the same assignee as the instant application.

Finally, there is provided a third mat 22R which is constructed to simulate the rough on a golf hole. The details of construction of the mat 22R may be ascertained by reference to the copending application of Anderson et a1. Ser. No. 588,919, filed Oct. 24, 1966, entitled Method and Means for Simulating the Rough on a Golf Course, now Pat. No. 3,459,107, and assigned to the same assignee as the instant application.

In general, each of the mats 22F, 22S, and 22R comprise a plurality of bristles 30 which are mounted on a backing member 32. The backing member 32 is secured by means of screws 34 to a metal shell 36 forming part of the turret 20. Interposed between adjacent ones of the mats are suitable moldings 38.

The turret 20 is mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis defined by means of a shaft 40 journaled in a pair of support brackets 42 (only one of which is shown) and which may be secured to any suitable support frame located below the upper surface of the tee area 10.

As viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, a gear 44 is secured to the shaft 40 by means of a pin 46 so that driving movement of the gear 44 will cause rotation of the turret 20. The gear 44 is, in turn, in engagement with a sector gear 48 formed on part of a disc 50.

The disc 50 is mounted for rotation with a shaft 52 which is journaled in a bearing 54 (FIG. 3) supported by the bracket 42.

A portion, generally designated 56, of the disc 50 is formed to provide a Geneva movement. The Geneva movement portion 56 includes three circular concave recesses 58 with the center recess 58 being separated from the two side recesses by radially extending slots 60. The slots 60 are adapted to receive an operating tooth 62 which is mounted on a disc 64 near the periphery thereof.

The disc 64 is mounted on a shaft 66 and secured thereto by means of a key 68 so that when the shaft 66 is rotated, the tooth 62 will move therewith. The disc 64, at a point opposite the tooth 62, also includes a circular segment 70 having a concave outer surface of the same radius as the circular recesses 58. As best seen in FIG. 3, the circular segment 70 and the Geneva motion portion 56 are disposed in essentially the same vertical plane and as will be apparent from FIG. 2, the segment 70 may be received in any one of the circular recesses 58 in abutting relationship with virtually the entire arcuate extent of the latter. When such is the case, it will be appreciated that the disc 50 is blocked from movement so that the turret 20 cannot be rotated.

Turning now to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the shaft 66 is journaled in bearing means 72 mounted on the bracket 42. The end of the shaft 66 opposite that to which the disc 64 is secured mounts a plate-like casting 74 which includes a threaded bore 76 at one point near its outer periphery. Received within the threaded bore 76 is a spring 78 and a ball 80 and a bolt 82.

The driving means 26 includes a bi-directional or reversible gear motor 82 (FIG. 2) which is arranged to have a rotary output shaft 84 (FIG. 3) driven at a relatively low rate of about approximately 30 rpm. when the motor 82 is energized. The shaft 84 is coaxially aligned with the shaft 66 and the end of the former mounts a second plate which has a small recess 88 in its periphery at a radial location corresponding to that of the ball 80 with respect to the plate 74.

As a result of the just-described construction, the bolt 82 and the spring 78 will normally urge the ball 80 into the recess 88 to establish a driving connection between the plates 86 and 74 so that when the motor 82 is energized and the output shaft 84 thereof is rotated, the shaft 68 will rotate and, in a manner to be seen hereinafter, ultimately rotate the turret 20. The purpose of the spring 78, the ball 80, the bolt 82 and the recess 88 is to establish a releasable drive connection to preclude damage to the indexible tee should, for one reason or another, the turret 20 become jammed or if the control circuitry to be described hereinafter should malfunction and cause improper energization of the motor 82. In such a case, continued rotation of the plate 86 will merely cause the ball 80 to be cammed out of the recess 88 against the bias of the spring 78 so that plate 74 will not rotate with plate 86.

The manner by which the turret 20 is indexed is as follows. When the gear motor 82 is energized, the shaft 84 will rotate at a relatively low speed and by means of the ball 80 in the recess 8, the rotation of the shaft 84 will be imparted to the shaft 66. As a result, the disc 64 will be rotated there-by rotating the tooth 62 and the circular segment 70. At some point in the rotation of the circular segment 70, the same will emerge from the recess 58 so that the turret 20 will be free to move. At approximately the same time as the segment 70 is moved out of contact with the recess 58 in which it is received, the tooth 62 will enter one of the slots 60 and continued rotation of the shaft 66 will cause the tooth now in the slot 60 to rotate the disc 50. Rotation of the disc 50 will cause rotation of the sector gear 86 on the disc and by virtue of the engagement between the gear 44 and the sector gear 48, the turret 20 will rotate.

During the initial portion of such rotation, the tooth 62 will be moving deeper into the slot 60. However, at some point, the tooth 62 will begin to emerge from the slot 60 and at the time when it completely emerges from the slot 60, the continued rotation of the shaft 66 will cause the circular segment 70 to enter into a recess 58 that is adjacent to the recess 58 in which the circular segment 70 was originally disposed.

If the circular segment 70 was in either of the endmost recesses 58, the foregoing procedure may be repeated twice. On the other hand, if the circular segment 70 was originally in the central recess 58, the foregoing procedure will occur but once. Of course, the above-described action can take place in either direction.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that some suitable control means be provided for controlling the direction of rotation of the motor 82 as well as for programming the number of revolutions of the disc 64 in each operational sequence. The mechanical elements of the control system are seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 and comprise three microswitches 90, 92 and 94 clustered about the shaft 52. As seen in both FIGS. 2 and 3, a cam 96 having a recess 98 is mounted on the end of the shaft 52 and the periphery of the same is adapted to engage the actuators of the respective microswitches 90, 92 and 94. The recess 98 is such that only the actuator of but one of the switches 90, 92 and 94 may be received therein at any given time.

By suitable selection of the gear ratio between the gear 44 and the sector gear 48 as well as the construction of the entire Geneva motion, all of which is shown approximately in scale in FIGS. 2 and 3, the actuation of a given one of the microswitches 90, 92 and 94 will be indicative of the fact that a particular one of the mats 22 is disposed in the opening 24 at the tee area 10.

The information provided by the actuation of the microswitches 90, 92 and 94 is utilized by a control circuit which then controls the amount and direction of rotation of the output shaft 84 of the gear motor 82 and the control circuit for the same is illustrated in FIG. 4.

As mentioned previously, the gear motor 82 is bi-directional and conventionally includes a clockwise drive control circuit 100 as well as a counter-clockwise drive circuit 102. The clockwise drive circuit 100 is adapted to be energized whenever an OR gate 104 is conducting while the counter-clockwise drive circuit 102 is arranged to be energized whenever an OR gate 106 is conducting.

The OR gate 104 will, in turn conduct, whenever any one of three AND gates 108, 110 and 112 is conducting while the OR gate 106 will conduct whenever any one of three AND gates 114, 116 or 118 is conducting.

Each of the three microswitches 90, 92 and 94 is adapted to provide a signal whenever its respective actuator is in the recess 98 on the cam 96. When the microswitch 90 provides a signal, the same indicates that the mat 228 is disposed within the opening 24. Similarly, when the microswitch 92 provides a signal, it indicates that the mat 22F is in the opening 24. Finally, when the microswitch 94 provides a signal, it is indicative of the fact that the mat 22R is in the opening 24.

There is also provided any suitable source of control signals. The source is generally designated 120 and is arranged to provide any one of three control signals to indicate that the sand, the rough, or the fairway simulating mats 22S, 22R and 22F, respectively, are to be disposed within the opening 24. Typically, the source of signals 120 may comprise manually operable switch means operated by the golfer. However, the instant invention is not limited to the use of manually operable switches to provide the control signals and may be used with any means capable of providing such signals.

The output from the microswitch 90 is utilized as an input by both the AND gates 108 and 110 While the output of the microswitch 92 is utilized as an input by the AND gates 112 and 118. The output of the microswitch 94 is used as inputs by the AND gates 114 and 116.

An output from the source of signals 120 which will be energized when the sand mat 228 is to be disposed within the opening 24 is utilized as an input by the AND gates 116 and 118 while a similar line for generating a rough command signal is utilized as an input by the AND gates 108 and 112. Finally, a fairway command line from the source 120 is utilized as an input by the AND gates 110 and 114.

The foregoing described logic makes use of the fact that the mechanical construction of the indexible tee is such that whenever the sand simulating mat 228 is not disposed in the opening 24 but its presence is commanded, counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 84 of the motor 82 is required. Similarly, whenever the rough simulating mat 22R is not within the opening 24, clockwise rotation will be required. However, when the fairway simulating mat 22F is not within the opening 24 and its presence is commanded, rotation of the motor may either be counterclockwise or clockwise depending upon whether the mat 22R or the mat 22S is currently disposed in the opening 24 when the command is issued.

The manner in which the control circuitry acts to cause a selected mat to be disposed within the opening 24 will become apparent from the following example. If it be assumed that the rough simulating mat 22R is currently disposed in the opening 24 and it is desired that the sand simulating mat 228 be moved to the opening 24, then it will be apparent that the following Boolean expression indicates the conditions that exist when the sand command is issued.

In rough-g6 E) W+ In rough-go to sand+ In fairway-g o f5 sand In the foregoing Boolean expression, the first term represents the condition at the AND gate 214; the second term represents the condition at the AND gate 116; and the third term represents the condition at the AND gate 118. As a result, it will be apparent that the AND gate 116 will conduct which in turn will cause the OR gate 106 to conduct energized in the counterclockwise drive circuit 102. The motor 82 will then be energized to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction thereby rotating the turret 20 in the counter-clockwise direction.

After one revolution of the output shaft of the motor 82, the fairway simulating mat 22F will be disposed within the opening 24. At this time, the conditions of the microswitches 90, 92 and 94 will have changed due to the movement of the cam 98 and the conditions at the gates 114, 116 and 118 are represented by the following Boolean expression.

Ti rough'g f5 fairway+ 5i rough-go to sand+ In fairway-go to sand Again, the first, second and third terms of the above expression represent the conditions at the AND gates 114, 116 and 118 respectively and it will be apparent that at this time, the AND gate 116 is no longer conducting. However, the AND gate 118 is now conducting and it will continue to maintain the counterclockwise drive circuit 102 energized so that rotation of the motor 82 will continue through another revolution.

Upon completion of the second revolution of the output shaft of the motor 82, the conditions at the AND gates 114, 116 and 118 will be as follows.

I11 rough-go to fairway-l- Ifi rough go to sand+ I n fairway-go to sand It will therefore be apparent that at this point, none of the AND gates 114, 11 6 and 118 are conducting and as a result, the counter-clockwise drive circuit 102 will be deenergized and the motor 82 will be at rest. It will also be recognized that the second revolution of the motor 102 moved the turret 20 from a position wherein the fairway simulating mat 22F was disposed within the opening 24 to a position wherein the sand simulating mat 228 was disposed within the opening 24. As a result, the command to dispose the sand simulating mat 228 within the opening 24 has been met.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a substantially similar operation occurs for each set of command inputs and each current turret position and in the interest of brevity, it is not believed necessary to describe the operation of the control circuit for all such conditions.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the instant invention provides an improved indexable tee construction. One outstanding feature of the improved construction is the use of the unique Geneva motion construction in the drive train between the motor 82 and the turret 20 which inherently locks the turret 26 in any given position by means of the presence of the circular segment 70 within any one of the recesses 8 whenever the motor 82 is de-energized. This feature provides a distinct advantage in terms of the cost of construction of the indexible tee unit in that a separate locking mechanism and control circuit therefor may be entirely omitted and yet, the locking function is retained.

Furthermore, the yieldable drive construction including the spring urged ball 80 and the recess 88 provides a unique safety feature in the event of either a malfunction in the control or extrinsic jamming of the turret 20.

Finally, the construction is relatively simple and may be made extremely rugged for long life with little maintenance thereby ideally suiting it for use in indoor golf games or driving ranges.

Having described a specific embodiment of my invention as required by 35 U.S.C. 112, I do not wish to be limited to the details set forth, but rather, to have my invention construed according to its true spirit as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an indexible tee construction for use in golf games including a tee area having an opening, a support, means mounting a portion of the support for selective movement to and from the tee opening, means on the support for providing at least two differing lie conditions representative of the lie conditions found on different portions of a golf hole, drive means, means interconnecting the drive means and the support whereby the drive means will move the support, and control means for the drive means for ultimately controlling which of the different lie condition simulating means is disposed in the tee opening whereby a golfer may hit a golf ball from the same, the improvement wherein said interconnecting means comprises drive train means for transmitting movement of said drive means to said support and for precluding movement of said support when said drive means is motionless.

2. In an indexible tee construction for use in golf games including a tee area having an opening therein, a support, means mounting portions of the support for selective movement to and from the opening, means on said support for providing at least two differing lie conditions representative of the lie conditions found on different portions of a golf hole, drive means, means interconnecting the drive means and the support whereby the drive means will move the support, and control means for the drive means for ultimately controlling which of the different lie condition simulating means is disposed in the tee opening whereat a golfer may hit a golf ball from the same, the improvement wherein said interconnecting means comprises:

(a) first movable means driven by said drive means,

(b) second movable means driven by said first movable means for moving said support,

(c) said first and second movable means including means for precluding movement of said second movable means when said drive means is motionless to thereby lock said support against movement in a tee position when said drive means is motionless in readiness for a golfer to hit a ball from one of the lie conditions.

3. An indexible tee according to claim 2 wherein said support comprises a rotatable turret, said mounting means comprises a generally horizontal shaft, said lie condition providing means are spaced about the periphery of the turret, said first movable means comprises a rotatable tooth, and said second movable means comprises a rotatable element having at least on radially extending slot adapted to receive said tooth.

4. An indexible tee according to claim 2 wherein said support comprises a rotatable turret, said mounting means comprises a generally horizontal shaft, said lie condition providing means are spaced about the periphery of the turret, said first movable means comprises a rotatable tooth, said second movable means comprises a rotatable element having at least one radially extending slot adapted to receive said tooth, and said movement precluding means comprises at least one recess on said second means and a projection on said first means receivable within said recess when said tooth is not received within said slot.

5. An indexible tee according to claim 2 wherein said first movable means comprises a rotatable tooth, and said second movable means comprises a rotatable element having at least one radially extending slot adapted to receive said tooth.

6. An indexible tee according to claim 2 wherein said first movable means comprises a rotatable tooth, said second movable means comprises a rotatable element having at least one radially extending slot adapted to receive said tooth, and said movement precluding means comprises at least one recess on said second means and a projection on said first means receivable within said recess when said tooth is not received within said slot.

7. A11 indexible tee according to claim 2 wherein said drive means includes a rotary element and said interconnecting means includes gear means for moving said support, said first movable means including a first disc mounted for rotation with said drive means, said first disc including a tooth and a circular segment mounted thereon with the tooth located oppositely of the circular segment; said second movable means comprising a second rotatable disc interposed between said first disc and said gear, said second disc including a sector gear meshed with said gear, a plurality of radially extending slots for receiving said tooth, and a plurality of circular recesses, one disposed between each of said slots with each said recess having approximately the same diameter as said circular segment and adapted to normally receive the same to block movement of said support, whereby energization of said rotary drive means will rotate said first disc to move said circular segment out of one of said circular recesses thereby freeing said second disc for rotation and said tooth will enter one of said radially extending slots and rotate said second disc so that said sector gear will rotate said gear means thereby moving said support, and whereby when said rotary drive means moves said tooth out of one of said radially extending slots thereby halting movement of said support, continued rotation of said first disc will cause said circular segment to enter one of said circular recesses thereby blocking rotation of said second disc and firmly locking said support against movement in readiness for a golfer to hit a golf ball from one of said lie condition providing means.

8. In an indexible tee construction for use in golf games including a turret, means mounting the turret for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, means spaced about the periphery of the turret for providing at least two differing lie conditions representative of the lie conditions found on different portions of a golf hole, rotary drive means, means interconnecting the drive means and the turret whereby the drive means will rotate the turret, and control means for the drive means for ultimately controlling which of the different lie condition simulating means is disposed in a position whereat a golfer may hit a golf ball from the same, the improvement in said interconnecting means which comprises a first disc mounted for rotation with said drive means, said first disc includ ing a tooth and a circular segment mounted thereon with the tooth located oppositely of the circular segment, a gear mounted for rotation with said turret; a second rotatable disc interposed between said first disc and said gear, said second disc including a sector gear meshed with said gear, a plurality of radially extending slots for receiving said tooth, and a plurality of circular recesses, one disposed between each of said slots, each said recess having approximately the same diameter as said circular segment and being adapted to normally receive the same to block movement of said turret whereby energization of said rotary drive means will rotate said first disc to move said circular segment out of one of said circular recesses thereby freeing said second disc for rotation and said tooth will enter one of said radially extending slots and rotate said second disc so that said sector gear will rotate said gear thereby rotating said turret, and whereby when said rotary drive means moves said tooth out of one of said radially extending slots thereby halting rotation of said turret, continued rotation of said first disc will cause said circular segment to enter one of said circular recesses thereby blocking rotation of said second disc and firmly locking said turret against rotation in readiness for a golfer to hit a golf ball from one of said lie conditions providing means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,202,556 5/1940 Jordan 273203 1,897,289 2/1933 Wieden.

3,139,283 6/1964 Lester 273-195 3,414,266 12/1968 Mitchell 273176 GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

